"DOVE" (Psychic-Grass)
                                                               by:           BoVu
                                             Queens Mary: The Super Trainer Showdown
                                             Long Beach, California
                                              July 22, 2000
                                                                about 200 participants

            Hello all, this is the report on my top deck "Dove".  Hope you enjoy it!

                It was a long wait, but the day had finally arrived... the Super Trainer Showdown.  My dad and I arrived at the Queensmary at about 8 o'clock.  It sure was a good decision to wake up a little early, because the line was as big as the ship itself!!  I had not received my invitation or my free tickets prior to this trip, despite my near perfect win in wthe qualifying rounds.  When I went to talk to the guy in charge, he told me aparantly something went wrong.  He gave me a 1rst edition rocket pack and said I was accepted in the short line.  And believe me- the short line wasn't that short but it's about 9 times shorter than the long one.
                Since we got in early, I had something to eat- waited until about 12:00- that's when the battles BEGIN.

            Here's my Tried and True Deck: "Dove"
            please don't copy it... what am I thinking of course you're gonna copy it... just give me credit when u do

                      Pokemons:15
                4 Jigglypuff
                3 Wigglytuff **there must have been 100 Wigglies Wiggling around at the tourney**
                3 Scyther
                3 Gastly *the secret weapon*
                2 Mr. Mime
                        Trainers: 26
                4 Bill
                3 Professor Oak
                3 Computer Search
                3 Gust of Wind
                4 Plus Power
                4 E. R.
                3 S.E.R.
                1 Item Finder
                1 Nightly Garbage
                        Energies: 19
                4 DCE
                10 Psychic
                4 Grass
                1 Full Heal Energy *secret weapon :-)*

            Note:  Scott probably understands the name because he was there but for the rest of you- the reason for "Dove" is because I hold my cards in a Dove Soap Box.  It's a cool name because it gives nothing away. When my opponents ask what deck I'm using, I just smile and say "Dove".
            As you can see it's a "Wigglytuff Deck"- but with the Pokemon Selection- it relies more on finess than sheer power.

                    There were 8 Games Swiss Format, You get 3 points for winning 2 for winning by prices after time is called, one for a tie and 0 for losing.  Top 8 would go to finals after eight rounds.
                     Here's How it went down

            Round One Vs. Jojo:

                   This guy was a great opponent.  I got out to a good start with scyther and jigglypuff.  I think I cut one of his pokemon in half and took the lead first.  After about eight draws I thought I had control as I charged up a jiggly with 2 energy with something out as active about to die.  He had a Jiggly on bench also with one energy.  His turn he attached double and evolved.  I expected this but when he gusted my my Jiggly and managed to KO it I was stunned.  After this I tried to buy time with Mime but tails never fail as he lullubied it to death.  I somehow managed to stall a few more turns as I charged up another :Jiggly on the bench ready to take over.  He gusted that in and killed it also.  Near the midgame things were looking bad, he drew 4 prices and I drew 2.  I managed to make a comeback as ER and SER flew everywhere.  However, to his LUCK, my charged up Scyther was unable to kill him for about 4 or 5 turns due to lullaby and my luck.  When I Finally killed it time was running out.  We were both about to deck but time was call.  He won by prices and that means I LOST!!!!
                    Although I could have won the game with my night garbage run and him decking- It didn't matter- I got beat fair and square- congrats to Jojo.
                                                                                points: 0

            Round Two Vs. Alakazam Kid:

                      You should know how discouraging it was to LOSE your first round?   This was a MUST win for me as it will be for all the matches to come if I was to make it to final eight.
                       This guy had a swap and attack deck- he managed to pull it off somehow, here's how it happened:
                        First couple of turns we were just setting up.  I had a jigglypuff charged up the 3rd or 4rth turn.  He had a Scyther up and an Abra on the bench.  I gusted the rocket abra and oaked.  Got wiggly and evolved but my bench only had 2 guys making out. That means I could only do 30.  I had an oak on my hand but also 2 other wigglies and a couple of good cards.  I looked at him and told myself.  "He's just a kid- we'll kill his abra next turn."  What an idiot I was- did the wave for 30 only to see his breeder popped out as his abra changed into an idiot holding a spoon.
                        It took forever to kill anything as he damage swapped away.  I kept on waiting for 2 pp and a GOW but nothing came out.  I couldnt use Wiggly because his Ditto would have rocked me.
                        In the endgame I made an amazing comeback as I energy screwed him and killed 2 or 3 guys with swords dance.  His Alakazam still lived!  He was about to deck but time was called as he DREW HIS LAST CARD.  I Won by prizes but that's only 2 points instead of 3.  The judge made a mistake and marked 3 on my card but the sore loser corrected him and I was stuck with 2 points.  You will see how this MAJORLY effects the outcome of my final ranking.

                                                                                                    points: 2

               Round 3 Vs.Wiggly Guy *Jojo should be Wiggly Guy but he's lucky I remember his name*

        I do not remember much of this match for some reason.  I just remember that this guy popped out his Wiggly and I beat him in the mid game due to superior flexibility.  I must have been so pissed off from the previous match I just played this next one without thinking about each move enough to remember it.
                                                                                                    points: 5

                Round 4 Vs. Wiggly Guy#2

        I saw his deck it had magmars and Clefable.  I got paranoid because it has the elements that give him the edge over me.  Unfortunate for this guy I did not let him get the advantage and used my tag team strategy of Gastly Scyther and Mr. Mime to beat him down.  Smokescreens from him was useless against two gastlies.  I actually flipped some heads in this game.  I charged up Wigglytuff and killed his hitmonchan before it could touch me with GOW and PP.  When it comes down to the midgame or the endgame- my deck takes over due to its flexibility.  I don't remember excact details but I think i won this one without losing prices.
                                                                                                    points: 8

               Round 5 Vs. Wiggly Guy#3   *sorry I'm blank on names*

        By now Jojo was still undefeated, he was sitting next to me and he played Scott G.  I think by this point Scott was on the same boat I was in with 8 points so I didn't feel so bad.  But what was about to happen to me was about to change that.
        What happened you ask?  Did I get beatened in an epic battle, or did I make a huge mistake to let victory slip away from me?  No, what happened to me was something that ALL trainers dread- a Worse Case scenerio.
         I started with 2 Gastlies vs 2 Jigglypuff.  As always tails never fail and I couldn't even paralyze it to keep it from pounding.  You couldn't pound ghosts in the video game! :-D  Anyway, for about 5 turns I didn't draw bill, oak, comp search or another basic pokemon.  I got stuff like plus power and Wigglytuff and a bunch of energy.  His jiggly soon turned into wiggly and made short work of the ghosts.  Jojo had the same faith- his scyther fell to a promo evee on turn 2 or 3.  *Hey remember that Scott?*
        Since the match was quick, I played this guy after for fun and destroyed him, it didn't help because this made me even more angry!
                                                                                                    points: 8

               Round 6 Vs. Fireblaster

        Hope has almost slipped away, I was hungry, angry and sweaty at the same time.  But I kept my cool.  I hoped that winning the next three could possibly sneak me into top eight.  But I knew that there was a chance that even if I won 3 I still might not make it.  But I still didn't know for sure.
        Anyway, this guy played Magmars and Clefable.  He also had Ninetails in there for some reason.  I had a slow start but neutralized his magmars with dual gastlies and managed to charged up a wigglytuff.  His Clefable came out and some damage.  After I exchanged blows with it his Clefable went down.  He sent out Ninetails who he was charging up.  I put up Mime. He lured I said screw it, I sacrificed whoever it was he killed to get some damage on him.  I than sent out Mime after to finish him off.  He came out with a Clefable.  It went down after 3 turns or so and I won because he had no bench.

                                                                                                    points 11

                 Round 7 Vs. Haymaker Guy

        I'm tire so I'll speed this report up.  If you're still reading I thank you.  This guy was really good.  He beat my friend Hong earlier.  He knew just as I did that losing here would mean NO CHANCE so we tried our hardest.  I got an average start and he had a great start- as Haymakers usually do.  But things changed after my first oak.  Wiggly popped out and all went down.  He popped out a Chan but I had been prepared for it.  Retreated for Gastly and KO him the next turn with Wiggly.  I got all prices in the lategame.

                                                                                                    points 14

                    Round 8 Vs. Christine with Enhanced Haymaker

        By this time I had been climbing back on the charts.  I was 60 someting 3 rounds ago and now I'm around 23 or 24.  Still the 8th spot seemed so far away as other people with 15 points that win would get the spot before I could.  My only chance was the they all win by prizes! :-) It was hopeless, but this last match was for pride- and it sure was a good one.
        Christine [Clefairy Doll] was friends with Scott and he sat on my right.  It was intimidating but Jojo was on my left.  He had not been able to hang on so now he's on the same boat we're all on the 14 pointers.  We both got bad starts and here's how it went down.
        I had a single Mime she had evee.  I drew jiggly right before Mime went down but couldn't do anything.  She KO Mime with a Hitmonchan and Jiggly was last man standing.  Her evil Sneak Attack cards kept on coming and I had no defense.  She was unable to get 2 PP so she jabbed for 40.  I was hopeless by this point.  The next draw if I couldn't get basic it was over.  I gringed my teeth drew and slapped the card down, it was a .....  Scyther! Yes- I guess the Gods felt sorry for me from my earlier run of bad luck.  I retreated jiggly and put up Scyther.  I managed to stall for 2 or the more turnes before I billed and oaked to get back into the game.  She took forever trying to find a way to get ahead, but she ended up having too few cards in her hand and too few energy on the table.  I came back and Slashed away for victory.  Sorry Christine, if only I was a little more UNLUCKY, and you were more Lucky, you could have beaten me.
 

          Okay, here's how my results are:

    My record     6-2
    Points            17
    Resistance      114 *this is how good my opponents were*

    There ARE 2 people that made it with 6-2 records  but they had 18 points.

    The eighth guy had resistance of 112.  So if I had 18 points, I would have made it to the finals.  But Noooo the Alakazamm kid had to open his Big Mouth about the judge giving me 3 instead of 2.  Looking back, that's what pisses me off the most- because I saw the finalists play- My deck would have killed theirs.
    Scott was also soo close, he would have tied for 8th with 18 points and 112 resistance if only he had one more point- but I guess you can't always have everything be your way- can ya!? ;-)

    My ranking was 13th, but that's not much to brag about- I just hope that all that's read this have learned a valuable lesson- even the GREATEST as myself and Scott Gerhardt can't win it all!

                     Well that was an awesome experience and it was cool knowing I can compete up there with the top guys.
    I hope you've enjoyed this, and I hope you're crying for me because I didn't make it to the finals:-)

                                                             comments welcomed at bo_vu@hotmail.com
    Okay one last thing, it's time for...
               Props and Slops

    Props to Wizards for being so Generous
    Props to the 20 free Boosters
    Props to the Girls that helped run the event
    Props to the people I knew for trying hard
    Madd Props to My dad for wasting 10 hours of his day for me
    Props to Jojo and the guy from Utah who beat me
    Props to Scott for posting this
    Madd Props to you for reading this
    Props to the good losers especially Christine
    Also Madd Props for my deck "Dove" for a great performance

    Slops to the expensive food prices
    Slops to Wizrards for letting 3 badges people enter- what's the point of the qualifying tournament than?
    Slops to Jojo for having to play me first
    Slops to me for losing my shirt
    Slops to me for forgetting to check the lost and found for my shirt
    Slops to me for being so unlucky
    MAdd Slops to the Alakazamm kid for causing me my trip to the finals
    Slops to the 20 minute time limit- it limits the kind of decks that could be played
    and finally Slops to Wiggly Decks for being so popular- I hate you! :-)